Weed and Feed – Poor Performance

Q: I have a question about what to do to kill weeds. I have bermudagrass in the front lawn and fescuegrass in back. They are infested with crabgrass and chickweed, etc. I purchased several weed and feed products to use but my mother in law said she heard you say on the radio recently not to use weed and feed products now.

A: My objection to weed and feed products is that the two functions a product is supposed to perform are time critical. If you use a weed and feed now on Bermudagrass, you’re wasting fertilizer since bermuda doesn’t need to be fed until it is fifty percent green. If you use a weed and feed in summer on fescue, you predispose the fescue to disease due to lush growth at a time it shouldn’t be growing very fast.

It is possible to use weed and feed products properly but it seems simpler to separate the two tasks. Also, in my opinion, the granular form of post-emergent weed killer is not as effective at controlling weeds as the spray form. I believe you get better pesticide coverage using a liquid spray. These lawn care calendars tell you exactly when to do each lawn care chore correctly.